UPDATE: July 26, 2024 @ 10AM – Flood Watch for West Prairie River, Swan River and Driftpile River
Over the past 48 hours (Jul 24-26), more than 50 mm of rain has been observed over a large portion of northern Alberta, extending from Hinton to Fort Chipewyan. The Swan Hills region, including Marten Beach, received between 100-130 mm.
A map of the Flood Watch advisories in our region is available at Alberta Environment and Parks – Alberta River Basins flood alerting, advisories, reporting and water management.
The rainfall continues today, July 26, before tapering off tomorrow, July 27. An additional 20-50 mm is forecast for portions of the lower Peace and lower Athabasca River Basins located in northwestern Alberta. An additional 10-20 mm is possible over the Swan Hills region.
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is in close contact with weather forecasting agencies, including Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Detailed weather forecasts and current weather information are available from:
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry: https://wildfire.alberta.ca/wildfire-status/fire-weather/forecasts-observations/default.aspx
Environment Canada and Climate Change: https://weather.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=AB
July 24, 2024 @ 2PM – The River Forecast Centre (RFC) has issued a High Streamflow Advisory for all streams flowing into Lesser Slave Lake.
Starting Wednesday and continuing through Saturday morning (July 24-27), a low-pressure system is expected to bring widespread precipitation to northern Alberta. Three-day accumulations of 70-100 mm are forecast with locally higher amounts of up to 150 mm possible due to convective activity.
River Conditions and Impacts
New High Streamflow Advisories have been issued for all streams flowing into Lesser Slave Lake.
• Water level rises of 2-5 m are possible.
• In the past, the community of Marten Beach has been impacted by high intensity rainfall.
• Low-lying areas adjacent to the river may be impacted, including low lying roads.
• Trees and debris in the river have the potential to pile up, especially at culverts and river bends, which can lead to higher increases in river levels.
Further Actions
The RFC will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates as appropriate.
Advisories, Forecaster’s comments, river flows and levels can be found on the Environment and Protected Areas River Basins webpage at https://rivers.alberta.ca or the AB Rivers mobile app.
If you would like to learn more about the Kinuso Flood Study conducted by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, please visit their website at https://www.alberta.ca/draft-flood-maps
